Press Releases

More light: SCHOTT to present the latest innovations in light for use in dental technology

At the International Dental Show IDS in Cologne from March 12 – 16, 2019 (booth 11.3 B 081), the international technology group SCHOTT will be unveiling its latest developments in dental technology. These include a new, fully customizable generation of autoclavable Solidur® LEDs for illuminating instruments that previously never had an integrated light source, as well as a novel manufacturing process that enables the production of fiber optic glass rods in extreme geometries for the latest generation of dental curing devices. SCHOTT will also be presenting innovative solutions for laser delivery solutions.

Autoclavable Solidur® LEDs: brighter, smaller and more robust than before

SCHOTT has further developed its hermetically sealed Solidur® LEDs especially for use in dental and medical technology applications. The ultra-robust light sources can be autoclaved more than 3,500 times and enable both simplified and completely new device designs. The sterilizable light sources can even be integrated directly at the tip of dental turbines, contra-angles, curing devices, and intraoral cameras, for example. Due to their robust material selection and small footprints, they can even be integrated into devices and instruments that previously offered no lighting options, such as dental mirrors, scalers, suction devices and surgical tools.

“To make a clear diagnosis, bright light must also be able to reach areas that are difficult to access, while the integrated light sources must be fully compatible with the slim and compact design of the dental devices,” explains Jochen Herzberg, Sales Manager for Medical in the Electronic Packaging Business Unit at SCHOTT. The latest generation is brighter, smaller and more robust than before and includes three LEDs configurations that can be customized to meet specific requirements:

Solidur® Mini LED: The world’s smallest autoclavable LED with a diameter of only 2 mm is now even smaller and offers optimized light output and an improved color rendering index (CRI).

Solidur® Ring LED: The first fully autoclavable ring-shaped High Brightness LED provides shadow-free illumination and is available with new, even more powerful LED chips for greater brightness.

Solidur® TO LED: Developed based on “Transistor Outline (TO)” designs, the autoclavable Solidur® TO LED offers an extremely wide range of customizable standards: In addition to the outer diameter of 3.3 - 10.0 mm, the shape, beam angle, chip configurations, SMD or pin variants, lens types and wavelengths can be adapted. This makes it particularly easy to integrate this type of LED into existing device concepts.

PURAVIS® glass optical fiber rods: more light for curing equipment

Light also plays an important role in the use of dental instruments such as curing devices, because as much light as possible needs to be delivered to the teeth to keep the treatment times short. These devices are especially needed in smaller dimensions in order to offer the highest possible patient comfort.

SCHOTT relies on an innovative new production technology to manufacture bending angles with the highest precision and a large number of highly adaptable fiber optic geometries – even with extreme shapes.

In combination with rigid rods made of PURAVIS® glass optical fibers, the new manufacturing process offers even more advantages. Since PURAVIS® glass fibers have a larger acceptance angle and high light transmission, the same amount of light is emitted with a smaller rod diameter. This means that smaller curing devices and shorter curing times can be achieved with the same rod size. Due to the improved break-resistance, PURAVIS® rods are also more durable.

Solutions for laser delivery: new applications in dental treatment

Last but not least, SCHOTT will be presenting fiber optic solutions for laser delivery technology in oral diagnosis and treatment. Laser technology plays an important supporting role in areas such as endodontology and the treatment of mucositis.

Depending on the desired effect, the specialty glass components from SCHOTT can emit the laser light exactly at the desired intensity and uniformity – either along a flexible fiber, at a specific point, radially at the fiber end, or at the end of a fiber rod. “This opens up new possibilities for the dental device industry in terms of design and product performance,” says Jürgen Hammerschmidt, Head of Business Development & New Ventures for the Lighting and Imaging Business Unit at SCHOTT. “Thanks to our technical know-how in the field of light and image guides, we can help device manufacturers develop complex dental laser delivery system designs and offer them in serial production.”

Find out more at the SCHOTT booth, 11.3 B 081 at IDS 2019.

SCHOTT is a leading international technology group in the areas of specialty glass and glass-ceramics. The company has more than 130 years of outstanding development, materials and technology expertise and offers a broad portfolio of high-quality products and intelligent solutions. SCHOTT is an innovative enabler for many industries, including the home appliance, pharma, electronics, optics, life sciences, automotive and aviation industries. SCHOTT strives to play an important part of everyone’s life and is committed to innovation and sustainable success. With more than 15,500 employees at production sites and sales offices in 34 countries, the group has a global presence. In the 2017/2018 fiscal year, SCHOTT generated sales of 2.08 billion euros. The parent company, SCHOTT AG, has its headquarters in Mainz (Germany) and is solely owned by the Carl Zeiss Foundation. This is one of the oldest private and one of the largest science-promoting foundations in Germany. As a foundation company, SCHOTT assumes special responsibility for its employees, society and the environment.